Love Conquers
by The Gothic Kagome
Summary: Acting out of concern, Inuyasha sends Kagome back to her own time. When an even greater danger approaches in her seemingly safe world, can she defend herself with no help from Inuyasha?
1. Chapter 1

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called, as he made his way to my side. In an instant, we were on the other side of the clearing. It took me a few moments to catch my breath. I was surprised at myself for still being shaken everytime he would do that. It was basically like routine. He'd snatch me up and have me away from the danger before I even knew there was any.

"Are you all right, Kagome?" I heard him say.

I shook my head meekly. "Y-yeah. Thanks, Inuyasha..." Was all I could manage. He nodded sternly, as he unleashed his sword.

"Stay behind me, Kagome. I'll finish this demon off with my Wind Scar!" He shouted brusquely as sprinted towards the demon. I couldn't help but smile at his confidence. I watched in amazement as Inuyasha raised the sword above his head, and then the Wind Scar was unleased as the sword clashed with the ground. The demon was disintegrated in a matter of seconds, leaving nothing but dust in it's wake.

Inuyasha looked towards me, a frantic look in his eyes. I smiled, and took a step towards him. "Kagome! Run!" I looked at him, confusion clearly written across my features as he started to run towards me, sword still unsheathed. Run from what? I couldn't think clearly. I turned my head slowly, fearing the worst. A searing pain shot through my backside as I was slung across the clearing, a subtle scream emerging from my throat as I was roughly caught in the arms of the silver-haired hanyou. His piercing golden eyes were the last thing I saw before the darkness took over.

oOo

I woke up to the same unbearable pain, blinking slightly, never quite opening my eyelids as far as they could go. The sun burned my eyes. Everything was blurry as I tried my hardest to adjust to the scenery around me. I saw a flash of red, and before I could even see it clearly, I knew it was Inuyasha.

"Inu...yasha...?" I felt his cool finger on my lips.

"Shh..." I heard him whisper. Inuyasha?

I felt a small smile tug at the corner of my mouth, and I struggled to get up. I remember his warm hand pushing me gently back down.

"Take it easy..."

I didn't argue. I hissed involuntarily as I reached my hand out to him. Everything hurt. What had happened to me? Realization hit at that question. The demon attack. How many days had it been since then?

"Wh... Where's... the demon?" It was obvious enough what had knocked me unconcious, you didn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure it out.

"Dead. Are you okay? Are you in any pain?" He asked urgently, worry evident in his voice.

I thought about it for a moment before I answered, deciding to lie. "No... I'm..." Then another ragged breath came out through clenched teeth, and my lie was shot.

"Only you could try to lie at a time like this. Don't speak. Just rest." I nodded, regretting it the moment I did as pain shot through my neck. It subsided after few moments and I laid perfectly still. It only seemed to take minutes before I fell into an exhausted, dreamless sleep.

oOo

It was dark when I woke up again, and I was inside of a small, secluded hut. Kaede's. My eyes darted around the room, taking in four sleeping bodies. Inuyasha? Where was Inuyasha?

Looking up, and tilting my head slightly back on the dark, warm fabric... his leg, I spotted him. His intense eyes bore into mine, and I was at a loss for words. Smiling hesitantly at him, his eyes lightened slightly, worry still etched in them as we stared silently at eachother. I frowned.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked timidly.

"A few days." His voice was rough... almost harsh. He didn't even seem to be trying to hide the emotions behind it.

"I'm sorry." I said suddenly, barely above a whisper. He looked at me quizically, his ears twitching. "For not paying attention, I mean... I was stupid." I could barely even hear myself speak, but I knew he did, because he crossed his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes.

"Feh. It was my fault." he argued stubbornly. Breaking eye contact as he turned towards the fire. "I couldn't protect you."

"No. Inuyasha, I-" I was cut off mid sentence, startled by the sudden sound of flesh hitting wood.

"Dammit Kagome, stop trying to take the blame!" He shouted, waking the whole hut as he turned back towards me. Everyone stayed quiet, including myself. Words failed me whenever he had that look in his eyes... The same look he gave me the night I found him with Kikyou. I couldn't bear it. I turned my eyes away, hating myself more and more by the second for having put that look there.

I shook my head, more to myself then to anybody else, and managed to sit up. I was surprised this caused me no unbearable pain. It was down to a minimum now.

"I'm fine, Inuyasha. Really." I amended, turning to smile slightly at him. He sighed, never looking towards me. I sighed then, too, resting my back against the wall beside him. I blushed when he wrapped his arm around me, pulling me closer to his side. I smiled contently, as I rested my head on his muscular shoulder. I yawned, feeling myself getting tired again. That injury must have really taken a lot out of me...

oOo

The next morning, I woke up on the floor, wrapped up in my sleeping bag, with Inuyasha's haori laid lightly on top of me. Looking around the hut, I noticed everyone was still asleep. It was barely dawn, and Inuyasha was no where to be seen.

I yawned almost silently, as I unwrapped the blanket from around me. Standing up, I brought his haori with me, wrapping it securely around myself to fend off the cold breeze of the morning. The wind felt amazing against my bare legs as I walked outside of the hut. Taking a quick glance at my surroundings, I made my way towards the Bone-Eaters Well, where I knew Inuyasha would be.

I was nearly knocked on my rear in the next moment, as he landed swiftly in front of me, face only inches from mine. I paused for a moment, to let my heart restart as I regained some of my composure.

"What are you doing?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

I supressed a giggle. "Looking for you." I answered simply. He was giving me the same look as yesterday, and I felt my heart wrench.

"I think we should talk." he said calmly, turning around briskly to walk back towards the well.

"Talk? What about?" I felt sick to my stomach as I followed him. He didn't answer, he just kept silent as he continued to walk slowly. Presumably so I could keep up. I stopped walking when the well came into sight, feeling a sudden reluctance.

"I thought we talked about this...?" I asked, barely above a whisper. His ears twitched towards my general direction, so I knew he heard me.

"What?" he asked, playing dumb, obviously, as he stopped and turned to face me.

"Me. Staying here with you..." I couldn't make myself look up. I swear, if I saw that look one more time I was going to be sick.

"Kagome... It's too dangerous now." He took a step towards me, and my hands balled into fists.

"I don't care." I could feel the tears coming now. Oh god, please don't let me start crying...

"I do."

"I'm not leaving." I argued, taking a step back as I blinked away the tears.

"Kagome -"

"No." I turned to make a dash for the hut, but his hand turned into an iron vise around my wrist. He pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly, and I felt the tears fall then.

"I can't protect you the way I should, you'll be safer in your own time." He ran his fingers through my hair, patting my head soothingly with the other.

"But... Inuyasha I... I can't leave you. And what about Shippou and the others? I can't..."

"You're not making the decision." he said sternly. I hid my face in his chest, soaking his white shirt with salt water.

"But-"

"No, Kagome. I don't think I could bear it if something happened to you."

I shoved away from him. "Yeah, it would suck if something happened to your jewel detector, wouldn't it?" I knew I was being silly the moment I said it. If he still thought of me as only a jewel detector, he wouldn't be trying to send me back home. I was useless back home. He shook his head, looking up towards me with fierce eyes. I could tell that my small little accusation had hurt him, but at the moment, I didn't care. "I'm not going home." I said, failing at sounding angry, as I crossed my arms. My eyes narrowed as he started sniffing the air.

"What is it?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. He was in front me me in two long strides, back facing me.

"Stay behind me." he warned as he reached over to rest his hand on the hilt of Tessaiga. I nodded, stepping over an inch to hide myself from whatever was coming.

In a flash, Koga was standing not a foot from Inuyasha, a huge grin plastered onto his face as he glanced towards me. "Hey Dog-breath, I hope you've been taking care of my woman." he said, keeping his eyes on me as he made an attempt to walk passed Inuyasha.

"Don't even think about it, Wolf-boy." Inuyasha threatened, glaring at Koga as he stretched an arm out in front of him. Koga turned to him, glaring now.

I laughed nervously. "Come on guys... Don't fight now." I said, raising my hands up innocently.

Koga turned back towards me, raising an eyebrow as he looked at me up and down. "What's wrong with you, Kagome? You look tired." He shoved Inuyasha's arm away, taking a step towards me. He lifted my chin up between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to look at him. I averted my eyes, looking towards Inuyasha pleadingly. This was the last thing I needed right now.

Inuyasha was already in action as he shoved Koga away and stepped in between us, unsheathing Tessaiga. He always was a little too brash when it came to Koga.

"Keep your hands off Kagome, you puny wolf!" Inuyasha said defensively.

"You put her life in danger again, didn't you?" he glared fiercely at Inuyasha, as he asked. Inuyasha glared back, ignoring the question.

"Koga, I-"

"Don't make excuses for that mutt, Kagome." He had a look of disgust written on his face as he walked towards me again, taking my arm by the wrist. Inuyasha didn't move.

"No, Koga, I-" Would no one let me talk today? I asked myself as I was interrupted for the umpteenth time that day.

"I think it's about time you came and stayed under my protection Kagome. I'd never let a thing hurt you, unlike this-" A loud slap resounded in the clearing, as flesh met flesh. Koga's face turned to the left, utter shock now marring his features.

"No, Koga. Let go of me." He looked at me quizically, and let go.

"Kagome-"

"Leave." I was surprised at the sternness in my voice.

"One thing though," he turned to Inuyasha, "Inu-trasha, I'm not giving up o-"

"Leave!" I shouted, irritation and anger clearly evident in my voice.

He nodded, "See ya Kagome!" he waved once and in a mere moment, he was a whirlwind on the other side of the clearing. I sighed in relief, glad he was gone.

"Inuyasha?" I stepped towards him, eyebrows furrowed, as I reached out and touched his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"He's right. You don't belong here, Kagome. You don't belong with me." He turned towards me now, giving me that same look of misery and guilt.

"But this is where I want to be... I-" I didn't know what else to say. I couldn't make myself admit that I loved him.

"But you _need _to be in your own time. Where you're safe." He argued, though it didn't seem much like an argument... the way he sounded so calm and serene... Not like him at all... I could tell he was already set in his mind to send me back home. The tears sprang back in my eyes, I couldn't bare to leave him.

"No, Inuyasha," I continued to argue, "I _need _to be _here_ with _you._" I reached forward and grabbed onto his sleeve, fisting my hands into the soft, red fabric that was his Robe of the Fire Rat. I looked at him pleadingly. I felt as if I was seconds from begging.

He looked at me hesitantly, as emotions washed through his eyes, too fast for me to interpret. His face became a hard mask as he opened his mouth to speak, "I don't want you." he sounded out every syllable, as if that could somehow get his point across clearer than it normally would have.

I dropped my hands from his sleeve in an instant, almost as quickly as I would have if I were being burned. My mouth wouldn't open, and I couldn't mutter a sound. I was surprisingly thankful for that, because I had absolutely no idea what I'd say if I could. I simply nodded, and looked away from him, not looking back as I walked towards the well.

I felt the tears cascading down my cheeks, cooling my hot face ever so slightly. I gave him one last parting glace, taking in his every feature, as I pushed myself off into the darkness. Before I could even grasp what this moment meant, I was already being engulfed in the blue light.

I forgot my Sacred Jewel shards...


	2. Chapter 2

There's no hope now... I thought to myself as I plopped down on my bed. I felt the towel loosen from around my wet hair, and I sighed, turning over to lay on my back. What am I supposed to do now? Return back to my normal life? Forget Inuyasha? Forget everything? Impossible.

I remember when I used to yearn for this day. Yearn for the chance to be a normal teenager again. To be able to go out on dates, do my homework... eat dinner every night with my family, and sleep in my own comfortable bed. Now, it was the farthest thing from what I really wanted. The others were like my family, now... I couldn't bear to think I'd never see them again. Never know how their battle with Naraku ended. I'd never know. . .

Stupid, stupid, stupid! I cursed myself for forgetting my bag. The Sacred Jewel shards, everything! The jewel shards were my connection through the well, now it was certain that I'd never be able to go back to that-- _my_ world. This strange place was no longer my home. How long had I known that? I cursed myself to Hell for being so incredibly, unforgivably stupid.

I closed my eyes, trying to block out everything. Thinking was bad, especially when it was about Inuyasha. I pulled my blanket over my head, and by the time I pulled it off, it was morning.

My alarm rang loudly throughout my bedroom. I turned over and glared, slapping my hand on the snooze button. That was something I was going to have to get used to. No more sounds of birds chirping, or the warm sun grazing my eyelids to wake me up... Now it was noisy alarm clocks with incessant beeping. Everything about this world suddenly irritated me. . .

I stretched, sighing discontently as I pushed the covers off of me. I ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times, and stood up, pulling out a spare, clean school uniform.

School was a drag, I couldn't concentrate on a thing. All I could do was stare out the window, hoping Inuyasha would suddenly appear on the roof like he had so many times before. I felt like such a pathetic fool for acting the way I was. He didn't want me, so why should I want him? But then again, I suppose that was a foolish, and childish way to act, as well.

Sighing, I walked down the crowded street away from school, passing up my friends without a second glance. I haven't said a word to them since I got back, and that was nearly a week ago. They didn't even bother to look my way anymore. I really did have an amazing way of screwing things up. Screwing _everything _up.

How could I not blame myself for my situation? There was really no way around it. Inuyasha sent me back because I was-- _am_ stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! He got sick of having to save me all the time. I knew that now. It surprised me how obvious it was.

I sound pathetic... the past is the past, right? No pun intended. . .

"Kagome?" I turned around, more out of pure instinct than my want to give the person a response. Ayumi made her way to stand in front of me in three long strides, smiling softly as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know you've been a little down lately... and I was wondering if you'd like to come with us to the fair tonight? Just us girls?"

Her hopeful smile forced me into a yes, as I nodded, smiling politely. "Sounds.. fun." My definition of fun was definetly plastering on a fake smile for hours at a time with people I didn't even know anymore.

Bad attitude, Kagome. I told myself contritely. At least she was talking to me. She was always the nice and understanding one.

"Great! See you later then, Kagome!" She waved, and jogged back over to Eri and Yuka.

I waved, and turned around, walking towards the shrine at a much faster pace. It only took me about fifteen minutes to reach the shrine.

Don't look up, don't look at the well. I chanted to myself as I reached even ground. I didn't glance up not once until I reached the small step that lead to the front door.

Once I was inside, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I could already feel another episode coming on, and the outside world was not meant to be an audience for that.

Crashing on my bed moments later, I let the tears fall. It was pointless to even bother to push them back. I didn't even wipe them away anymore. I let the whole routine -the body-racking sobs, the shaking, the tears- all take its course before I got back up.

I'm an emotional wreck. The girl in the reflection of my bathroom mirror looked like a total stranger to me. Bags under the eyes, red, blotchy cheeks, pale skin... Maybe she really was a stranger.

I shook my head, and stepped into the blistering hot water under the shower head.

oOo

Four hours later, I was sitting in a roller coaster, next to Hojou. This was very unexpected... I assumed, from what Ayumi had told me, that it would have been just us girls. I should have known they were lying... they probably just thought I was moping over my "jealous, violent boyfriend" and needed another. The moment we got here, they basically vanished. Oh, they'd definetly be hearing about this later. . .

The ride was short, and less than thrilling. I was extremely bored, but I guess that was my fault; I rarely took interest in things like this. I was only dragging this out to an appropriate amount of time. I didn't want to seem to eager to leave.

"Hojou, it's getting kind of late... I think I should go home now." He smiled down at me, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Okay, Kagome. I'll give you a ride." He said politely. I nodded my head meekly and followed him to his car, always a few steps behind him in his eager pace. Maybe he was tired, and wanted this to be over as soon as possible, too. I know I felt that way.

I paused as he stopped in front of a black Integra. "Is this yours?" I asked, in complete awe. He simply nodded and opened my door for me.

The car ride seemed to last forever. We must have not even been five miles away from the parking lot before I dozed off.

When I awoke, we were idle. It was pitch black all around us. It made it hard to believe I had my eyes opened. "H... Hojou?" I reached out in the darkness and flinched back when my hand met heated flesh. Confusion was clearly written across my face, I could feel it, though I doubt anyone could see it.

"What are y-" I felt a hand rest on my bare leg, and I panicked. Reaching for the door handle, I pulled on it several times before I realized it was locked.

"Shh, it's okay, Kagome. We want this." His hand traveled further up, making me tremble.

"No, Hojou. Let me out!" I started panicking, and I reacted. I hit him, hard. I felt him stumble away from me, back into the driver's seat. My hand stung, and I glared into the darkness. "Let. Me. Out."

"I don't think you understand, Kagome." I felt him move towards me again, and I pulled back my arm for another slap. Quicker then I would have anticipated, he was on top of me, straddling my waist, as he pinned my arms down.

"Get off of-!" I felt his hard fist connect with my right cheek, and I instantly tasted blood. A groan escaped my mouth as I supressed a sob.

Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha... He suddenly entered my mind, in full force. That just made me feel worse. I really was a helpless, pathetic human... I was too weak to save myself. That would always be my downfall.

"Hojou... please... don't-" Another hit. This time, I couldn't supress the sob, or the tears that escaped me. I struggled to move, and another hit, a slap this time, hit me on the right side of my face. I was sobbing uncontrollably at this point. I couldn't believe what was happening - I didn't want to.

My eyes widened when his lips crushed mine, and I struggled. I turned my head back towards the window. He didn't seem phased when he lost contact with my lips, he just moved to my neck.

"I've been after this for almost a year now... I didn't get you all of those nice things and act like I cared for nothing. So, Higurashi, it's upto you. The easy way, or the hard way?" I was about to get sick - I could feel it. My hands clenched into fists as I braced myself to scream. I'd probably only have one chance. One chance for someone to hear my cry.

I screamed, loud, as loud as I could. It was very brief, but I was sure that if anyone was around, they would have heard it. I prayed that someone heard it.

I was hit again, and I felt my forehead collide with the passenger window. My breath hitched as I felt a warm liquid rushing down my face. I screamed again, and this time I didn't stop. I didn't stop when I felt his hard fist make contact with my face. I didn't stop when his hand tightened around my throat, though I knew I wasn't getting anymore volume. I couldn't give up, though I knew I was only wasting the limited air I had.

I clawed at his hands, and flailed my legs in every direction possible. I didn't stop until I started to feel the real darkness take over.

Inuyasha. . .


End file.
